PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Junior Mount Gibson Iron has restarted high-grade iron-ore sales from its Koolan Island operation, in Western Australia.
The ASX-listed miner on Wednesday said that some 72 000 t of high-grade hematite iron-ore, averaging 65% iron, is currently being loaded onto a bulk carrier scheduled to depart for delivery to customers in China.
The first shipment of ore followed two years of redevelopment and refurbishment work at the Koolan Island mine, including the construction of a new seawall, pit dewatering, footwall rehabilitation, pre-production waste mining, and the recruitment of more than 300 employees and contractors.
“It is very satisfying to bring the unique high-grade Koolan Island mine back into production after more than two years of dedicated effort by the Mt Gibson team,” said CEO Peter Kerr.
“The high grade and quality of Koolan Island’s direct-shipping hematite iron-ore products means that they are well suited to China’s increasing focus on steel manufacturing productivity and environmental impacts, and will provide Mt Gibson with a solid platform from which to generate value well into the next decade.”
With the start of shipments from Koolan Island, Mt Gibson will become Australia’s highest-grade exporter of direct-shipping hematite iron-ore, based on the ore reserves of 21-million tonnes, grading 65.5% iron, which will be mined over the next five-and-a-half years.